"Today's verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer," the South Korean electronics firm said after news of the $1 billion patent infringement award by a California jury.

"It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies."

News reports from the courtroom said Apple was awarded $1.05 billion for infringement of patents for its iconic iPhone and iPad and that Samsung's counterclaims of infringement of wireless patents were rejected.

Samsung said, "Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple's claims."

"Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer," the statement said.

Samsung to contest US verdict in favour of Apple
Seoul (AFP) Aug 25, 2012 - South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Saturday it will contest a US court ruling that it must pay rival technology giant Apple damages of more than $1 billion for patent violations.

"We will move immediately to file post-verdict motions to overturn this decision in this court and if we are not successful, we will appeal this decision to the Court of Appeals," Samsung said.

The statement came just hours after a jury in San Jose, California awarded Apple $1.05 billion for infringement of patents for its iconic iPhone and iPad, while rejecting Samsung's counterclaims of infringement of wireless patents.

The decision appeared to be an overwhelming victory for Apple, but it was not immediately clear whether it would halt sales of Samsung devices or affect newer models released since the case was filed.

Samsung in an earlier statement said the verdict was "a loss" for consumers and that Apple had "manipulated" the patent system.

The South Korean firm also said the verdict was "not the final word" in this case or other similar battles around the world.

"It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices," it said.

"It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies."

The ruling is part of a bitter international patents battle between the two rivals and comes ahead of a high-stakes US jury verdict expected to set the course of their tussle for supremacy in the smartphone and tablet market.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled Apple breached two of Samsung's technology patents, and ordered it to pay 40 million won ($35,242) in damages.

It also ordered Samsung to pay 25 million won for violating one of Apple's patents. Each company had sought damages of 100 million won from the other.

The judges said there was "no possibility" that consumers would confuse Samsung and Apple smartphones -- a key issue in the US trial -- and that Samsung's smartphone icons do not infringe Apple's patents.

But it said Samsung infringed Apple's patent for bounce-back technology. Apple's signature bounce-back design is the widely copied spring-back behaviour that occurs when a user reaches the edge of a document.

The court banned sales in South Korea of Apple's iPhone 4 and iPad 2, as well as Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy SII among other products.

But the banned products do not include the latest models from either firm such as the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy S3 smartphones.

Samsung launched the case in South Korea, along with several other countries, in its first response to an Apple lawsuit in a US court that started the legal battle in April 2011.

Apple says Samsung "slavishly" copied its smartphones and tablets and violated its design patents. Samsung says Apple is using some of its patented wireless communication technology.

Analysts said the split ruling was not expected to have an impact on the broader dispute, which involves legal action in nine countries.

"Samsung scored a partial victory over Apple in that the court rejected Apple's key allegations that Samsung copied its design," James Koo of Kyobo Securities told AFP.

Samsung said the ruling affirmed its position that "one single company cannot monopolise generic design features".

The court, however, accepted Apple's assertion that Samsung infringed its touchscreen "bounce-back" technology, Koo noted.

"However, this is unlikely to affect the impending verdict in California, Apple's home turf," he said.

Seo Won-Seok of Korea Investment and Securities said the sales ban was expected to have only a limited impact as it does not cover the latest models.

While the results so far have been mixed in courts in Europe and Australia, Samsung has much at stake in the US case in San Jose, which could result in large damages or injunctions against its products in the American market.

In the US court, Apple is seeking more than $2.5 billion after accusing Samsung of infringing designs and other patents. Samsung says Apple breached its patents for wireless communication.

Samsung extended its lead over Apple in the smartphone market in the second quarter despite slowing demand.

Samsung shipped 50.2 million smartphones globally in April-June, while Apple sold 26 million iPhones, according to a recent survey by research firm IDC.